HUNGER OF THE PINE – ALT-J

If you don’t hear from me for the next week, it’s because I’ve gone and locked myself in a room to listen to the new Alt-J album on repeat. Fuck the yuppie Pitchfork review, I think This Is All Yours is a great follow up to the band’s debut album An Awesome Wave. Alt-J is one of those bands that really grew on me like one of those lingering ivy plants on old college buildings; I didn’t notice them creep up so much until the only thing I could do was hum Joe Newman’s vocals everywhere I went. The band just sounds so fresh! I know they’ve drawn a ton of Radiohead comparisons, but I prefer to see them as separate. (Now, this might just be because I’m not a huge fan of Radiohead—yes, I said it—but you never know.) There are a number of tracks that standout for me, but “Hunger Of The Pine” (with it’s Miley Cyrus sample—say whaaaaa!) was something special. I knew I liked it immediately because my face involuntarily broke out into a huge smile as it played out. It’s like my brain’s failsafe way of telling me I really like a song; my own little “kudos [insert musical artist]”! So kudos Alt-J.